Index sticker print

ABSTRACT

An index sticker print is created where small photographic images are printed on individual sticker blanks contained on a sticker blank carrier. The photographic images are derived from digital image data obtained when the photographic film is scanned. The digital image data is formatted to size and is sent to a printer which then prints the digital data onto the sticker blanks creating an index sticker print.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/176,141 filed Oct. 21, 1998,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,781.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the area of stickers. More particularly, thisinvention relates to making stickers from index prints that are producedwhen a photographic film is developed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stickers can be both fun and functional and are used by people of allages and sexes. Children collect stickers and use them to decorate anynumber of items. Adults likewise use stickers to decorate items, and mayalso use them as labels or as a way to hold envelopes closed. There areseveral types of stickers that are commercially available, but it is notpossible for consumers to buy personalized stickers made with theconsumer's own photographs.

Index prints are available to consumers after a film is developed. Theseindex prints contain small thumbnail images of each photographic imagethat appears on the film. The goal of index prints is to aid theconsumer in identifying which photographs appear on which film negative.Unfortunately, the index print often gets separated from the filmnegatives and as such, has limited value for its intended purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention combines the fun of stickers with the utility ofindex prints. By printing an index print as stickers, the presentinvention allows a consumer to peel off and use a personalized sticker.Alternately, the present invention allows the consumer to leave thestickers in place for an intact index print.

Index sticker prints are made by providing a sticker blank carrier witha specific number of sticker blanks. Since most films contain a maximumof thirty-six exposures, but may allow for taking a few extra pictures,the number of stickers blanks is set at greater than thirty-six.

A photographic film image is scanned to produce digital image data foreach image on the film. Once this digital image data is collected, thedata can be formatted to produce images of a size corresponding to thesize of the sticker blanks. In printing the stickers, each individualdigital image corresponding to each photographic image on the film isprinted on a sticker blank. This results in one sticker of every imageon the film. If there are more stickers blanks than there arephotographic images on the film, some photographic images can berepeated to fill the empty sticker blanks. Once the printing iscomplete, the finished stickers are dispensed to the consumer who canthen peel and use the stickers from their backing as stickers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the process for creating an index stickerprint;

FIG. 2 is the top view of a sticker blank carrier;

FIG. 3 is a graphic depiction of an index sticker print; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the index sticker print.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram setting out the process for creating an indexsticker print. First step 10 is to provide a sticker blank carrier 20 asshown in FIG. 2. Second step 12 requires that film images be scanned toget digital image data. Third step 14 formats the digital image data sothat each image will fit on a sticker blank 22. Next, fourth step 16requires that the images be printed onto sticker blanks 22. Fifth step18 is simply to dispense the results to a consumer.

FIG. 2 shows a sticker blank carrier 20 ready for printing. The carrier20 consists of several individual sticker blanks 22. Each sticker blank22 has a precut edge 24 to allow the sticker blank 22 to be peeled off abacking 26. The backside of the sticker blank 22 has an adhesive coating28 that allows the user to adhere the sticker onto another surface.

The sticker blank carrier 20 has greater than thirty-six sticker blanks22, and more preferably, greater than thirty-nine sticker blanks 22.Each sticker blank 22 is of a predetermined size such that they can bearranged and placed on the sticker blank carrier 20. The carrier 20shown in FIG. 2 has forty sticker blanks 22. Films commonly come intwenty-four or thirty-six exposures, but may allow for a few extrapictures to be taken, resulting in slightly over twenty-four orthirty-six photographs. Thus, if there are greater than thirty-sixsticker blanks 22 on the sticker blank carrier 20, it can be ensuredthat every image on a film can be printed at least once as a sticker. Ifthere are more sticker blanks 22 than there are photographic images onthe film, certain selected photographic images can be repeated andprinted again on the empty sticker blanks 22. Alternatively, the emptysticker blanks 22 can be filled by simply repeating images from thebeginning of the film and printing those images in the empty stickerblanks 22.

FIG. 3 is a graphic representation of an index sticker print 30. On eachstamp blank 22 a thumbnail image 32 has now been printed, creating anindex sticker 38. The thumbnail image 32 is slightly larger than thesticker blank 22, such that the precut edges 24 fall on the inside ofthe thumbnail image 32 and truncate it. A border 40 surrounds thestickers 38. On this border 40 it is possible for other indicia 36 to beprinted, such as date, company identification, or other notations ordescriptions. The stickers 38 are arranged in rows and columns and maybe identified with an index number 42. The index numbers 42 are normallyprinted at the same time the thumbnail images 32 are printed on thesticker blanks 22. The index number 42 could also be printed on thebacking 34 rather than the sticker 38.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged side view of the index sticker print 30. FIG. 4makes clear that the index sticker 38 is coated with an adhesive layer52 on its bottom surface. Thus the stickers 38 can be peeled from thebacking 54 and adhered to another surface. There are many options forcomposition of the adhesive layer 52. Any adhesive that is strong enoughto adhere to several surfaces, but not so strong as to prevent it frombeing removed from the backing 54 would be suitable. Several suchadhesives are available and are well known in the art. Likewise, severaloptions exist for the materials used for the stickers 38 and the backing54 which are well known in the art.

In collecting the digital image data as noted in Step 2 of FIG. 1, ascanner may be used to scan a photographic film negative. When using ascanner, the photographic film negative image is projected onto a linearscanner. The scanner scans the image and collects an electronicrepresentation of it. One such scanner that is suitable is the PakonFilm Scanner described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/604,330,filed Feb. 2, 1996). Once collected, this electronic image is convertedinto digital image data which can be formatted to make the imagesuitable for printing. Formatting may consist of sizing, sharpening, orotherwise manipulating the digital image data to prepare it forprinting. Once formatted, the digital image data can be sent to aprinter.

The index sticker print 30 can be created by using an ink jet printercapable of at least 300 dpi. Once such printer is the Desk Jet 1200Cmanufactured by Hewlett Packard®. The printer receives the digital imagedata and uses it to print the thumbnail image 32 on the sticker blanks22, creating an index sticker print 30 corresponding to the photographicimages on the photographic film negative. When finished printing, acompleted index sticker is dispensed to the consumer.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An index sticker print comprising: a stickerblank carrier having greater than 36 sticker blanks, each sticker blankbeing temporarily and releasably held on the sticker blank carrier, eachsticker blank having a pre-cut edge and an adhesive layer coating itsrear surface; and selected thumbnail images printed on the stickerblanks which correspond to photographic images contained on aphotographic film, wherein the index sticker blank can be peeled fromthe sticker blank carrier at the pre-cut edge and adhered to anothersurface; wherein the pre-cut edge falls within an image and each of saidsticker blanks having an image thereon is removable from said stickerblank carrier at the pre-cut edge.
 2. The index sticker print of claim 1wherein the selected thumbnail images printed on the sticker blanks areeach photographic images on the photographic film with selectedphotographic images being repeated to fill any empty sticker blanks. 3.The index sticker print of claim 1 wherein the selected thumbnail imagesprinted on the sticker blanks are each photographic images on thephotographic film with images from a beginning of the photographic filmbeing repeated to fill any empty sticker blanks.
 4. The index stickerprint of claim 1 wherein the selected thumbnail images are onephotographic image reprinted on every sticker print.
 5. An index stickerprint comprising: a sticker blank carrier having a plurality ofremovable sticker blanks thereon, each sticker blank having a pre-cutedge and an adhesive coating on its backside; and images printed on thesticker blanks, the images corresponding to photographic imagescontained on a photographic film, each sticker blank being removablefrom said sticker blank carrier at the pre-cut edge; wherein the pre-cutedge falls within an image and each of said sticker blanks having animage thereon is removable from said sticker blank carrier at thepre-cut edge.
 6. An index sticker print comprising: a sticker blankcarrier having a plurality of removable sticker blanks thereon, eachsticker blank having a pre-cut edge and an adhesive coating on isbackside; and images printed on the sticker blanks, each of said imageshaving a size which is slightly larger than the associated stickerblank; wherein the pre-cut edge falls within the image and each of saidsticker blanks having an image thereon is removable from said stickerblank carrier at the pre-cut edge.